FOOTBALL: Pearland Dawson ices game late in win over Oak Ridge

Oak Ridge senior defensive lineman Darius Richmond (41) pressures Pearland Dawson senior quarterback Patrick Kramer (13) in the first quarter of their season opener at Woodforest Bank Stadium in Shenandoah on Friday. less

Oak Ridge senior defensive lineman Darius Richmond (41) pressures Pearland Dawson senior quarterback Patrick Kramer (13) in the first quarter of their season opener at Woodforest Bank Stadium in Shenandoah on ... more

Photo: Jerry Baker, Houston Chronicle / Contributor

Photo: Jerry Baker, Houston Chronicle / Contributor

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Oak Ridge senior defensive lineman Darius Richmond (41) pressures Pearland Dawson senior quarterback Patrick Kramer (13) in the first quarter of their season opener at Woodforest Bank Stadium in Shenandoah on Friday. less

Oak Ridge senior defensive lineman Darius Richmond (41) pressures Pearland Dawson senior quarterback Patrick Kramer (13) in the first quarter of their season opener at Woodforest Bank Stadium in Shenandoah on ... more

Photo: Jerry Baker, Houston Chronicle / Contributor

FOOTBALL: Pearland Dawson ices game late in win over Oak Ridge

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SHENANDOAH — A late touchdown sealed the deal for visiting Pearland Dawson in a 34-21 win over Oak Ridge on Friday night at Woodforest Bank Stadium.

The Eagles (1-0) got a fortunate bounce on a critical fourth down late in the fourth quarter, then increased their lead to two touchdowns with 1:30 to play to finish off the War Eagles (0-1) in non-district play.

“Our kids didn’t quit,” Oak Ridge head coach Dereck Rush said. “That’s one thing we can build off of, for sure. They kept fighting for four quarters. The ball just didn’t bounce our way at the end of it.”

The first two drives for both teams came up empty Friday night.

On its third drive, Dawson quarterback Patrick Kramer eluded pressure before finding Jalen Freeman for a 68-yard score with 34 seconds to go in the first quarter.

“Defensively, we had some chances to make some plays and the ball fell their way,” Rush said. “Overall, our kids played hard and physical throughout the night. We just didn’t overcome a lot of our mistakes.”

The Dawson lead grew in the second quarter when Kramer found Mason Pierce on a delayed screen pass on fourth and 11. Pierce made a few Oak Ridge defenders miss before completing the 21-yard touchdown.

Kramer finished the game 10-of-15 passing for 206 yards and three touchdowns, unofficially. His top target was Pierce, who hauled in eight receptions for 140 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

The War Eagles cut the Dawson lead in half late in the second quarter with some trickery.

“It helps tremendously,” Rush said of Letney being on the team. “He’s been out of the football world for two years, but we’ve got him back now and we’re going to slowly work him into the offense. You’ll see a lot more of him.”

With 10 seconds to play, the War Eagles faced fourth and goal from the 2-yard line. After a timeout, Camden Barajas barreled in for the touchdown to cap the nine-play drive.

After an Oak Ridge drive stalled at the start the third quarter, Dawson’s Ja’Den Stewart ran in a 66-yard touchdown after one quick cut near the line of scrimmage. Stewart unofficially rushed for 124 yards on 10 carries.

On the next Dawson drive, Kramer threw a quick screen to Pierce, who ran it 71 yards for a touchdown.

Down 20, the War Eagles responded with a 92-yard drive. A 66-yard run from Harrison Smith did most of the damage before Barajas punched in a 3-yard touchdown.

Smith, the starting Oak Ridge running back, unofficially rushed for 105 yards on 12 carries Friday night. Barajas, listed as an outside linebacker but brought in as a fullback for dives, rushed for 44 yards on six carries. Alton McCaskill provided a few bursts with 28 yards on six carries.

“Harrison did good tonight,” Rush said. “McCaskill did good as well. We’re going to keep on riding those guys and we’ll watch film, evaluate and get better.”

Dawson’s lead was cut to six points when Romero snuck in for 1-yard touchdown with 9:07 to play. The War Eagles’ scoring drive was kept alive thanks to a defensive hold call on third and long.

Despite a pass interference call that aided Dawson on the next drive, Oak Ridge had the Eagles on the ropes - facing fourth and two at the War Eagle 38-yard line. Kramer was pressured and a hurried pass was deflected, but Pierce caught the tipped ball to keep the drive alive.

Dawson used the fortunate bounce to its advantage as Caleb Eaton put the game on ice. His 1-yard touchdown run made it 34-21 with 90 seconds to go.